If you had told me a week ago that I would be writing an article with this headline, I definitely would not have believed you. Jurassic World looked like a movie whose trailer would be better than the actual film, and I never would have guessed how much I actually loved it. I do not even care that the storyline may have been a bit predictable, because Jurassic World was just simply enjoyable to watch. From the amazing world building of the park itself to fun characters and dialogue, this new installation into the Jurassic universe did its predecessors justice. Here are some of the reasons why.

#1. Dinosaurs

Obviously one of the most important factors of any Jurassic movie is going to be the dinosaurs. I personally think that the CGI on this film’s star-studded cast of genetically modified zoo animals was entirely believable and definitely well done. Although the Indominus Rex was a little bit ridiculous, it gave a slew of really interesting ideas to explore, including what exactly was it that they threw together to make this killing machine? From frog to raptor genes and even those of humans, the writers and animators worked well together to create a monster with just enough mystery and fear factor to make even dinosaur whisperer Owen (Chris Pratt) run for his life.

#2. Chris Pratt

Honestly, what more is there to say? We’ve seen him as hilariously oblivious puppy-dog Andy in Parks and Recreation and sarcastic space cowboy Peter Quill, sorry Star Lord, in Guardians of the Galaxy. Up until this point, Pratt has had snark and wit to hide behind if he needed to, but we can see in Jurassic World that he can take on a more serious role without a comedic crutch.

#3. Claire

Jurassic World almost doesn’t deserve the masterpiece of a leading lady that is Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), operations manager of the park and resident badass. Despite what seems to be constant verbal humiliations by her male coworkers and bosses, she remains strong and in charge of her own decisions. Even her own sister makes a comment early in the film about how Claire should and will eventually become a mother, which is obviously not her decision to make. This film tries to turn Claire into a stuck-up, bossy, stick in the mud that needs to loosen up, but I refused to buy that “character flaw” for even a minute, and I like to think that I was right. The moment that tough-guy Owen mocked her choice in footwear, I began praying that she kept the shoes – and boy she kept those shoes alright, and single-handedly ended the fight against the Indominus Rex in the meantime. Claire is tough and feminine at the same time – a mixture of character traits that we don’t often see in Hollywood – and Jurassic World would definitely not have been as good without her.

#4. Jurassic Park Throwbacks

Let’s face it, this movie did so well in its opening weekend simply because everyone wanted to see where they were going to take this universally loved franchise (and maybe also Chris Pratt, but that’s not the point). Jurassic Park has a level of name recognition that most films can only dream of achieving, and certain aspects of the original movie stick with people for life. Jurassic World definitely took advantage of this nostalgia but did so in a way that made you proud for recognizing each throw-back. From the original Jurassic Park gates and music to Rexy reclaiming her territory at the end of the film, each little nod only added to this film.

#5. Humor

People just keep dying in the Jurassic movies; this isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is how well the writers are able to maintain a sense of humor even in a movie with such a high fatality count. Without any of the small moments of wit and humor, this movie would have been much darker, and far less enjoyable overall. However, because the characters maintained interesting personalities that managed to still be funny in the face of disaster, Jurassic World could be a lot more well rounded.

#6. Seriously, guys. Dinosaurs!

Just in case you didn’t catch it when I said it the first time: this movie has dinosaurs just roaming around. Now I know that people die anytime genetically modified dinosaurs are brought into the mix, but I for one would be at Jurassic World in a heartbeat if it actually existed. I mean, there were people canoeing with dinosaurs, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to do that. So although we make jokes about how they should have figured out that dinosaurs maybe aren’t the best idea by now, we can’t really blame them for trying, right?